Lux woke to the light of another romantic setting sun, amber hues leaking into the room. She rolled on her side, tempted to return to her sleep, before remembering her dinner date with a certain explorer. With a start, the blonde sat up and immediately searched for a clock in the room.
"It's five fifty-six." A deep voice rumbled.
The blonde immediately turned to the assassin in the room, his nose stuck in a dusty old tome.
"I've got to go!" She exclaimed, jumping out of bed. "Is there a brush in here?"
The mage scrambled through the trunks, eventually finding the item which she seeked. With a few strokes through her golden hair, Lux deemed herself "good enough" and headed for the door.
"I'll be back in a bit." She said to the assassin before shutting the door and making her way to the cafeteria.
It did not take long to find the mess hall, considering the ship had appropriate signage. Lux walked into the cafeteria and searched the enclosure for another blonde, whom she found sitting at a table munching on a slice of cheese pizza.
Ezreal waved her over as she approached.
"Let me just get some food, I'll be back in a second." She said to the explorer as she made her way to the kitchen.
Lux returned to the explorer with her own plate of spaghetti, a Crownguard favorite, and sat herself down.
She let out a sigh before addressing the issues at hand. "Goodness, Ezreal, there's so much I have to tell you."
"I should say so." The explorer replied in a tone that Lux would describe as snarky.
"Cool it, Ez." She chided. "I'm not actually married to Talon."
He shot her a curious look.
"Look," She started in a hushed tone. "I was on this assignment with him, but we were set up. Swain is trying to throw us in jail for stealing from the Jenkinses. So, we're on the run. Talon, apparently, went to Katarina to get some help in this situation, and she got us tickets and a honeymooner's reservation at the Vita Sub Rosa Casino in Bligewater. We're going to stay there for a bit while the situation gets 'worked out'. Once that's done, we'll return to Noxus and go about our own lives, which, for me, means running back to Demacia as soon as possible."
"You should have tried to ditch him earlier." He commented.
"You don't think I did?" She shot back. "That man is the shiftiest assassin the world has ever seen. He knows Swain wants me in jail for interrogation, and he doesn't know why. I try to shake him, but it only gets me more scrutiny. Besides, it's not like I have the best contacts out here, nor the means to escape on my own."
"I can help you with that." The explorer offered her a charming smile.
Lux knew that, for Ezreal, this situation had changed from worst nightmare to real-life day dream. She wasn't sure if the guy had a hero complex or if he was just a romantic at heart, but Lux knew he had always longed to be her knight in shining armor.
"I was hoping you would say that." She returned the smile.
"As it turns out, I am actually staying in Bilgewater for about five days. I'll be taking up residence in West Harbor, in an hotel fairly close to Vita Sub Rosa. If you can find a time to ditch your assassin, just come to my place and you can tag along. I'll be headed back to Piltover after my five days here, and I'm sure we can find you safe passage to Demacia from there."
"Sounds perfect, you're a lifesaver. Quite literally." She paused a second. "I thought you said you weren't going to be in the main cities?"
"I lied." He shrugged. "You think I want Talon knowing my business?"
Lux laughed brightly, watching a smile grow on the explorer's face.
"Here." He said, offering her a slip of paper. "This is the address. I trust you remember how to pick a lock?"
"Of course." She shot him a devious look.
A blush formed on Ezreal's face as he chuckled at her. "Definitely not the goody-two-shoes everyone thinks you are."
"Shh," She smiled at him. "Don't tell anyone."
The two continued the rest of the evening with playful banter, a pastime Lux always found pleasure in. Lux had always felt that Ezreal was the man she was meant to marry because of the way they talked and interacted; he was the only one she enjoyed flirting with. Watching the explorer blush and tease sent small flutters through her stomach, but still the mage could not help but think about the assassin she was left to return to, and how just the deep rumble of his voice was enough to evoke the same feeling within her, if not more.
The mage return to the assassin sometime around eight at night to find him still nose deep in the book. Lux shut the door behind her and flopped herself down on the bed, somehow tired, yet again. She looked back at the rogue, quietly reading the tome at the little study desk in the room, wondering what could be so intriguing about the text.
"Is that the book you stole from the Jenkinses?" Lux asked.
Talon raised his head and regarded her coolly. "So what did you and the pretty-boy talk about?"
The mage sighed. "Don't ignore my question, Talon."
He chuckled, affirming Lux's theory that his deep voice was so much more compelling than anything Ezreal could conjure. "Yes, it is."
"What's it about?" She asked, hoping, but not expecting, to get a useful answer.
"Answer my question first, then I will indulge you." He eyed her curiously.
"We just caught up. I haven't seen him in some time, we had a lot to talk about."
He paused for a second, as if debating whether or not to accept her answer. "It's a book about the military."
Lux sighed. "That's so vague. What about the military? Which military? Past or present military? So many questions and yet none of them answered."
"I'll give you exactly as much information as you give me." The assassin smirked.
"So this is a game, is it?" A devious smile played on the mage's lips.
Talon set the book aside as his smirk grew in size. He said nothing.
"You first, then. Ask away." Lux prompted.
"How do you know the Prodigal Explorer?"
His question gave Lux pause. How did he know who the Prodigal Explorer even was? Sure, Ezreal was somewhat famous outside of Piltover and Demacia, but she thought most Noxians didn't know of him. Then again, Talon wasn't most Noxians.
"Familial connections." That statement was in fact true. The rest, not so much. "He stays with my family when he passes through Noxus."
Lux hoped the assassin would buy her lie, but she knew that her connection with the explorer only made him more skeptical of her innocence.
Talon opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off by the blonde.
"No sir, it's my turn! Why does Swain want you in jail?" Lux prodded.
The assassin squinted. "You're so curious."
"That's not an answer." She reminded him.
"He wants to know where my father is." Talon replied honestly.
"Power-hungry." Lux commented as she motioned for Talon to ask his question.
"Why are you so interested in this book?" The assassin returned fire.
The blonde thought carefully about her response. "It's like you said, I'm so curious."
Talon did not seem satisfied with her answer. "Indeed."
"Now I don't need to ask you the question to know that you're suspicious of me," Lux said, "But I do wonder who you think I really am."
"I think you're really a secretary." He replied easily.
"Bull shit."
The assassin laughed. "It's like I said, I'll give you exactly as much information as you give me. I'm not going to take 'I'm so curious' for an answer."
"Well I guess we're at an impasse then." Lux let her head fall back against the pillow.
For a good few moments, Lux stared at the ceiling, thinking of the coming days and ways to escape the assassin and run back home with Ezreal. The best option seemed to be sneaking off when he was sleeping, that way he couldn't tail her, but Lux resigned to play it by ear. It was then that Lux took the time to read the address Ezreal had given her, making an effort to memorize the location, should the need arise.
Fortunately, the explorer had been wise enough to give her general directions and landmark locations, because, gods know Lux wouldn't be able to find the place on a street name alone. She then tucked the card into her bra, for safekeeping, and continued her plotting. After fifteen minutes, however, the blonde had just about exhausted everything she felt she needed to, and realized she was without anything else to do.
"I'm bored." Lux whined, looking at Talon, still nose deep in the tome.
"Tough shit." He replied without lifting his eyes from the page.
"Don't you have something for me to read?" She questioned.
Talon looked up from his book and shot Lux a look she couldn't quite decipher. "I think Katarina packed a book for you."
With no small amount of effort, Lux hoisted herself off of the bed and rummaged in the trunk for a book. In it, she found a little paperback titled When Life Gives You Lemons which, upon further inspection, appeared to be an anthology of short stories.
Lying back down on the bed, Lux opened to a story she thought sounded particularly interesting, one called "Fall of the Lich". She dipped her lower body under the cozy covers, tucking herself away in the bed, prepared to drift off into a fantasy world.
Cool breath tickled the back of her neck, accompanied with a deep voice.
"Jaina," Arthas let her name play on his cold lips. A deft finger traced up her spine, sending shivers coursing through the conjurer.
"Why are you here, Jaina?" She could almost hear the laughter in his voice, his mocking persona once again riling her.
Jaina turned to face the stone-cold man. Her fierce expression did nothing to phase him, but rather his devious smirk twitched upwards in an effort to hide his laughter.
"Someone has to stop you, Arthas." She spoke with conviction.
"Oh? And you think that someone will be you?" He taunted, bringing his hand to her face and allowing his fore finger to settle under her chin, forcing her to stare into his icy eyes.
The conjurer stared up at the man for what felt like eternity, willing herself to break the silence, but unable to force words from her throat.
"You have always had such pretty lips, Jaina. So delicate, and so red." He paused, slowly allowing his hungry gaze to settle on her mouth.
"You are dead, Arthas. No one could ever want you." Jaina bit out as she swatted his hand away from her chin.
"Believe that yourself before you try to persuade me." The fallen paladin laughed at her.
Angered, Jaina turned to exit the room, hoping, on some small sliver of chance, that he would just let her leave. Clearly coming here was a bad idea, and now she would likely pay the price.
"Not so fast." Arthas chided as he grabbed hold of her upper arm, turning her to face him. "I am not done with you."
Enraged, Jaina opened her mouth to yell retorts back at the lich, but was instead silenced by a pair of icy lips pressing hard onto hers.
A firm hand pulled her flush against Arthas' body, and Jaina's bracing hands came to rest on the fallen paladin's breastplate. His lips moved coolly against hers, plying her mouth open and allowing his tongue access to her cavern. He played and toyed with her mouth in every way she liked. Jaina could hardly dampen her moan as his thumb brushed against the outside curve of her breast, teasing more pleasure.
He released his hold on her lips and redirected his own towards her neck. A commanding kiss was placed on her pulse, soon followed by sucking and nipping that finally forced Jaina's vocal chords into motion. The conjurer felt her eyebrows pull together as a quiet sigh escaped her lips. Her hands slowly curled around Arthas' neck, moving of their own accord.
As the lich withdrew, Jaina began to remember who the man was that she was moaning for, and immediately began to pull back herself. However, his steel grip kept her in place as he regarded her with a confident, and, dare she say, triumphant look.
"You want me." He stated simply, allowing his free hand to play around her collar bone and begin to trail south.
"Do not be silly." She chided, trying to regain some dignity. "I want the man you used to be."
His cold hand brushed past her sternum and towards her belly button as his laughing eyes flickered to her lips.
Realization dawned on the conjurer as the fallen paladin's hand came dangerously close to her core. Just as Jaina opened her mouth to command Arthas to stop, his forefinger pressed into her center.
Pleasure shocked through the conjurer, causing her to cry out, "Arthas!"
"Lucy?" A curious voice forced the mage's attention away from her reading.
With a blushing face, Lux turned to face the assassin while offering a soft "Hmm?"
"I asked if you are going to sleep in the bed tonight." Talon stated simply.
It was then that Lux realized he had done away with his shirt, and was beginning to deal with his pants.
Her blush intensified as she stammered, "Y-yes, of course. Why don't you change somewhere else?"
"I've already started in here." He shrugged as he stood before her, only in boxers.
Lux coughed in an effort to hide her raspy voice. "At least put on a shirt, why don't you?"
Talon obliged, pulling a while tee over his head. He then turned off the light, forcing Lux to set her tantalizing book aside. She snuggled under the covers, looking forward to getting a decent night's sleep in a comfortable bed. A content sigh escaped her lips as she closed her eyes and began to dream of the better things in life, but then she felt a rustling of the covers.
Swiftly turning on her other side, Lux could barely make out the movements of a man getting into the bed.
"Talon!" She exclaimed. "What are you doing?"
"What?" He chuckled. "You thought I was going to sleep on the floor?"
The assassin settled in the covers beside her, causing Lux an undue amount of stress. She could feel the heat building within her, and though she thought it was due to the fact she had never slept in the same bed with a man before, a part of her knew it was because she was thinking of the scene she had just read about, except for with different characters.
Still, the bed was too tempting to force Lux away, and so she turned her back to the content assassin and tried to drift off into slumber herself.